Firmware 3.42 Causing Problems?
No, it's not.Published: 8:00, 09/09/2010 by Tuffcub.
94Hey everyone, guess what? Go on, guess, bet you can’t! Oh alright clever clogs you read the headline, people are reporting Firmware 3.42 is causing problems.
Except it’s not. A bold claim by me as:
- I don’t work for Sony.
- My PlayStation works fine.
- It’s been 15 years since I earned my BSc in Computer Science and there is no way I could tell what the Firmware update did if I had a look at the code.
However I do have an ability that seems to be lacking in others: common sense. Let’s look at the evidence as to why I am certain 3.42 is fine.
Firstly, the new update does not seem to be causing everyone problems, just the odd person. As I’m sure you are aware every batch of PS3s are the same. All 60 gig PS3 Slims are they same, all 40gig PS2 backwards compatible PS3s are the same. They are fed the same update, identical updates on identical machines. If the update corrupts one machine it should corrupt all of them.
This was ably demonstrated by Sony when the ApocalPS3 occurred and the PlayStation clock chip went a bit wibbly counting the days in February. All – not just a couple - all of the fat PS3s decided to throw a fit.
Secondly, those reporting problems do not report the exact same problem. The complaints include the PS3 is crashing, some games do not work, problems with sound and a couple of people experienced a crash during the update. The YLOD makes it’s scheduled appearance too.
All the reported problems can happen at anytime not just after a firmware update. PlayStations occasionally go wrong as do washing machines, cars, Xbox 360s, electronic egg whisks and threesomes (they always seem a good idea at the time.).
If there was a genuine problem with the update then there would be millions – not just tens – of complaints. A few people are experiencing the same problems that everyone else has on the days there are no updates. There is no problem and the inevitable reports of the latest Firmware being blamed for a string of problems is getting tiresome, if there was a genuine error we – and Sony – would let you know.
If your PS3 is having problems after the current update it is a coincidence. A crappy, annoying coincidence but a coincidence all the same. Your PS3 doesn’t work, your girlfriend left you, they postponed the last episode of True Blood due to Labor Day. Nothing ever works out as you want. Shit happens, it’s called life – get used to it.
Source: Product Reviews
Most Comments This Week
- PS3 Firmware 4.10 Brings, Wait For It, A Decent Browser! [101]
- OnLive’s Evolution [72]
- CoD: Black Ops Has The Best Ending Ever [67]
- PS Vita’s Load Times Analysed [56]
- What We Played #39 [48]
- PS Vita: Relic or Revolution? [47]
- Star Wars Kinect Sounds Like an Atrocity [45]
- PSN Store Update: 08/02/12 [45]
- Vita PSN Prices Announced [44]
- Journey Is Complete, Awaiting Release Date [41]
TSAtv: Original Video Content
Batman book review
Kris Dancing, again
Joe Danger interview
Sonic Generations
09/09/2010 at 08:07
Member since: May 2010
Lol I love it when people try to blame game crashing and stuff on firmware updates.
The last section of this is f***ing funny yet so true. :)
09/09/2010 at 11:19
Member since: Forever
Yeah – it made me laugh too, I love this article.
09/09/2010 at 16:00
Member since: Nov 2009
Brilliant articleee :)
12/09/2010 at 21:49
Member since: May 2010
i wouldnt know grr
14/09/2010 at 06:25
Member since: Jan 1970
I had just finished watching a DVD on the PS3 I then inserted A Blueray disc I was prompted to update so I did via the internet. It upgraded to 3.42 now the PS3 does not recognize any discs (NO icons) the USB icon is displayed but it does not recognize the photos, mp3s or the update files which are properly labeled. Sorry when it happens to you you will not think it is so funny
18/09/2010 at 20:06
Member since: Jan 1970
ok i admit that its not always the updates that cause it, but,never the less, the moment i tried to do the 3.42 update, my system got an error. and now i cant use my ps3 cuz it automatically goes to try and do the update whenever i turn it on. then when the error occurs, i cant back out of it. i dont have a normal menu bar anymore. its just a constant attempt at the same download. and im pretty sure that its the download that started the problem, because i had played on it already that day, and when i was forced into the update, the error occured. i really dont care what you guys think, but if any of you have any suggestions, please let me no. ive got the 80g ps3, and i havent had any previous problems with it.
22/09/2010 at 11:21
Member since: Nov 2008
have you tried doing the updated on a USB stick?
21/09/2010 at 23:17
Member since: Jan 1970
I’m glad you think it’s funny. My son’s ps3 got a YLOD and is worthless. He was playing MW2. My ps3 freezes at the end of every level in 2 games, Read Dead and Saints Row 2 and in Saints, if I change clothes (which you’re suposed to do often in the game). My grandson was playing MW2 on his ps3 and his just freezes whenever it likes. So three family members, same town of 800,000 people all have these problems on the same day, all after downloading fw 3.42. Ha Ha Ha. Isn’t this funny? 7 other people we play MW2 with all had the problems with freezing and all live over 1,000 miles from us. So is this all in our minds?
21/09/2010 at 23:58
Member since: Jan 2010
If it were in your mind, it would be I N C E P T I O N
22/09/2010 at 11:16
Member since: Dec 2008
Is now a bad time to bring up the fact that MW2 is an 18?
22/09/2010 at 11:25
Member since: Nov 2008
YLOD is not related to updates in any way. I have had two of them now on my 60GB model. It is not worthless, I got it fixed, then it is covered under the repair companies own warranty. If you system is freezing and crashing a lot then be warned you may be close to a YLOD, mine spent two weeks creashing and I felt it was the games I was playing being old or buggy. Nope it was on it’s way to dying.
09/09/2010 at 08:08
Member since: Aug 2009
Good article and I agree.
I guess (sadly enough) it’s human nature to look for something to blame as opposed to thinking ‘Oh no! My PS3′s gone tits up, how unfortunate’ or something like that.
09/09/2010 at 08:52
Member since: Jan 2010
Yeah true and it makes it so annoying to hear the ‘firmware x.x broke my ps3′ stories. Good article.
09/09/2010 at 08:09
Member since: Sep 2010
I love you. Awesome article. Finally someone with common sense.
09/09/2010 at 08:16
Member since: Forever
Are you the real Charles Logan…. should I get Jack?
(my fave president, every episode he was in was brilliant)
09/09/2010 at 08:43
Member since: Sep 2010
Gregory Itzin (Logan) should have won the Emmy. He was nominated twice (Season 5 & 8) but lost. But this is off-topic. lol
09/09/2010 at 08:50
Member since: Jan 2010
I miss 24 so much, Charles Logan was such a dastardly villan.
09/09/2010 at 08:53
Member since: Mar 2009
Ah the season he was first in was one of the best.
I caught up on ALL of 24 just before the most recent season started then they announced it was the final one.. Annoying..
09/09/2010 at 08:58
Member since: Sep 2010
http://24.wikia.com/wiki/Charles_Logan
;)
09/09/2010 at 09:03
Member since: Forever
I’ve watched them all, and after day 8 finished, started watching from the day 1 again, I’ve just finished day 5 (his one and its my fave too), I need to get through 6 & 7 so I can sell them all to pay for a complete 1-8 boxset when its released in October
09/09/2010 at 08:15
Member since: Forever
100% true TC
To my knowledge Sony aren’t perfect when it comes to FW though, as they have released 3 firmware updates that have caused problems though, 1 was pulled within a couple of hours, 1 caused a problem with Blu-ray playback appearing black & white or something and a recent one, 3.41 was released twice because the 1st time it caused a problem for HDD upgraders
09/09/2010 at 08:25
Member since: Mar 2010
mine works fine :)
09/09/2010 at 08:26
Member since: Jan 2010
This article is fantastic and needs to be said. It’s essentially the old argument of causation versus correlation. People assume that because their PS3 has an error, and because they just updated their firmware, the firmware update must have caused the error.
While it oftentimes looks causational, oftentimes it’s just a buggy game, a weird day for your PS3 or just plain bad luck.
09/09/2010 at 08:30
Member since: Jul 2009
The people knee-jerk reacting and blaming the firmware are the same sort of people who visit evangelists and also see images of Jesus in the wood-grain on their kitchen door.
Tossers.
09/09/2010 at 08:38
Member since: Forever
Every single day x amount of PS3s YloD or disc failure.
If you’re one of the x who coincidently gets a YloD the day after a FW update it is perhaps natural to allow your frustrations to blame the Firmware.
09/09/2010 at 08:48
Member since: Jul 2009
I wouldn’t think the same and usually have oodles of common sense. If my PS3 YLOD’s again would I look to blaming the firmware? Nah! I’d blame Sony for a totally different reason. :-) If people just stopped and thought for a moment, half of the problems in the world would either go away or be addressed properly.
09/09/2010 at 08:52
Member since: Forever
It would be much easier (and kinder on the planet) if half the people were terminated
09/09/2010 at 09:45
Member since: Aug 2008
That made with think of the Father Ted ‘kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse’ episode
09/09/2010 at 10:34
Member since: Forever
Wahey cc_hitler_star ;-)
09/09/2010 at 10:53
Member since: Mar 2010
well eugenics was first set in motion(and practised) by the americans and then hitler took the idea and saw that it was good(:p a wee little bible joke there) but yeah anyway we would probably be the first to go if it ever happens
remember kids a stupid slave is a good slave
09/09/2010 at 12:56
Member since: Forever
@ STILL, that made me laugh. Ta!
09/09/2010 at 08:29
Member since: Jun 2009
Now im more interested about this awkward threesome
09/09/2010 at 13:00
Member since: Dec 2008
Shush
09/09/2010 at 08:48
Member since: Mar 2009
Thank you for a bit of common sense. I love this site..
Think about it.. there are MILLIONS of PS3s out there, some break every day, therefore inevitably there will be some that break on firmware launch day!
I used to work for PS Support.. Trying to explain that to some people is like trying to explain quantum physics to a 6 year old.
09/09/2010 at 08:52
Member since: Forever
Tell me about it, I used to work in a mobile phone repair centre, it has put me off the public for good
09/09/2010 at 08:53
Member since: Sep 2008
While most of the article is very true, there is one point that I disagree with. There was a 360 update back in November of 2006, which was confirmed to brick consoles (by MS themselves) and only effected a few (seemingly random) consoles.
09/09/2010 at 11:14
Member since: Jan 2009
Also the bit where you said “all- not just a couple- of the fat ps3s were affected by the apocolyps3″ My 80gb fat ps3 didnt get effected on that day. a fact that i rubbed in quite a few of my friends faces lol. But yes vast majority of ps3s did go crazy on the day.
09/09/2010 at 08:56
Member since: Feb 2009
as a counterpoint, just as nobody can say that they know it’s the firmware update causing problem, you cannot honestly say you know for a fact the firmware update hasn’t caused any problems.
these are very complicated machines, you don’t know that there isn’t some factor on some machines that the firmware update could react with to cause the update to have problems.
contrary to your statement, not every ps3, even those of the same type, are exactly the same, there may be tiny variations in the hardware caused by the manufacturing process and there will almost certainly be variations in the software on the machine, then there’s the wear and tear issue.
if people are having problems, you can say it’s almost certainly not the firmware update.
for the record, i don’t seem to be having any problems with the firmware, and i believe anybody who is suddenly having problems is just a victim of coincidence.
but i couldn’t say that i know the firmware hasn’t caused anybody any problems.
09/09/2010 at 12:14
Member since: Mar 2009
I’d agree with you. The law of averages would say that not every PS3 will be full working for the rest of its life cycle. Maybe to an extent the firmware update might just be highligting a problem already in the systems OS.
I mean we know there is a chance our PS3s could YLOD due to the fact that when you mass produce a product there is a chance one wasnt built 100% correct and will have some sort of defect.
Now who is the say the same can’t be said for the OS? The chances are maybe a small amount of PS3′s have a corrupt OS, that doesnt seem to be console breaking untill a new version has been installed? Is it possible or am I just being daft?
09/09/2010 at 19:15
Member since: Nov 2008
I see this as being rather nit picky. Overly thought out and not being realistic.
Its like any debate. There is the obvious choice and the outside 1 in a million chance.
You seem to look towards that 1 in a million.